


a merry little christmas

by tulowhiskey



Category: Baseball RPF
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - College/University, Christmas Fluff, Colorado Rockies, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 17:58:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17187689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tulowhiskey/pseuds/tulowhiskey
Summary: Nolan's first Christmas away from his family isn't easy, but his boyfriend's starting five new traditions to make him feel at home.





	a merry little christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [spilborghs (carebearstare)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/carebearstare/gifts).



> I am a few days late but <3 Merry Christmas, Boo!
> 
> * * *
> 
> Not beta'd, apologies for mistakes. 
> 
> For reference: This goes along with [these](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15042386) [two](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14847408) lovely fics Steph has already written. I love our AUverse!

=

**1.**

When Nolan wakes up on December 24th, it doesn't feel like Christmas. 

It's the first time in twenty-three years that he's not waking up in California on Christmas Eve. He won't wake up there tomorrow either, and it feels a lot worse than he could have anticipated. It was his decision to stay and he's been trying his best to stay positive, but today it just feels like too much. 

The bed is empty too, which isn't unusual - his boyfriend almost always wakes up earlier than he does, and will read or start breakfast or take care of some work planning while Nolan sleeps in - but that kind of sucks too, so he rolls over, pulling the blankets over his head and hugging his teddy bear close against his chest, and goes back to sleep. 

As he drifts off, he can't help thinking he smells his mom's _ropa vieja,_ which must be a dream. She'd be making it today, of course, but he's in Phoenix. His life is here now, 350 miles away from Mom and home and all of their holiday traditions. 

-

It’s not a long nap, half an hour at most, and when Nolan wakes and pulls the blankets off of his face, it’s - _disorienting_. At first he’s not sure where he woke up, and he’s seen enough movies about Christmas Magic to wonder if he’s been magically transported somewhere else. 

But - no. This is his bedroom, it’s just been completely transformed with hundreds of tiny lights strung across the ceiling, paper snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, more lights and evergreen boughs across the headboard of the bed. The hooks near the door that are usually filled with towels and sweaters have been cleared to only hold two stockings with N and T emblazoned on the front, another bough full of more lights just above them. 

A real evergreen tree sits on his boyfriend’s nightstand, too. It’s only about two feet tall, wrapped in a single string of coloured lights and sparsely decorated - a dozen ornaments at most. But, as Nolan is quick to notice, each one is so perfectly _them_ , it’s clear that a lot of thought went into curating the collection - from the wreath framed first-Christmas baby photos of each of them, to the bulbs emblazoned with their initials, the _‘N’_ in white on a royal blue bulb and the _‘T’_ printed in black on a crimson one, the colour scheme and even the type of each matching their respective favourite baseball teams perfectly. 

There’s a baseball too, of course, and a glove. He smiles at those, and at the beaded cactus with a little fuschia flower at its top, one of his favourite things in Arizona and his focus during most of their outdoor adventures; at the shiny red apple that matches the countless back-to-school things he’d picked up for his teacher boyfriend before the school year began; at the sand coloured starfish at the top that reminds him of the beaches back home in California. It’s there too - California, that is - a small, metal version of the state, with a heart shaped cutout in the middle. 

“Did you find the mermaid? She’s shy.” Troy’s voice comes from the doorway, softer than usual as not to disturb the mood of the room or startle his just-awake boyfriend. A warm smile grows across his face as Nolan’s attention turns his way. “Good morning, baby. Merry Christmas.” 

“What’s all this?” He glances around the room, then looks back at him with an adorably confused expression. “Mermaid?” 

Troy laughs, a warm, fond sound. “This is Christmas, honey.” He sits on his side of the bed, between Nolan and the tree, first leaning down to kiss his sleepy boyfriends’ forehead sweetly, then reaching to the far side of the tree for one more ornament - on display to most of the room, but obstructed by the branches from the bed - speaking as he carefully takes it down to show him. “And since it’s the first Christmas we’re spending together and we don’t have any traditions yet, I thought we could make some.” 

He holds his hand out then, eyes playful as a mermaid ornament dangles from his finger, her tail Nolan’s favourite shade of baby blue and her hair black like his. “Mermaid. Our tree needs your people, of course.” 

It’s Nolan’s turn to laugh then, delighted by the thought his boyfriend put into all of this, but the mermaid especially. “Oh, well of course.” He pauses to thank him with a sweet kiss first, words next. “Babe, this is so sweet - thank you. I love all of it.” 

“I’m glad, sweetheart.” They share another kiss, then Troy gets up to return the mermaid to her spot, peeking at him around the branches. “We’ll get one new ornament for in here every year. That, and - ” he pauses, looking around at the decorations - “all this, that’s our first tradition. But one’s not enough. You get up and dressed, I’ll go get your coffee and we’ll head out, ok?” 

Nolan answers with a nod, watching him go with a fond smile before he crawls out of bed. He snaps a few pictures of the tree and the room to send his mom and goes to get ready, wondering what else his love has planned and feeling less homesick already. 

= 

**2.**

They go out for breakfast, more of a regular weekend tradition than a holiday one - but it’s still one of their things, and it still warms Nolan’s heart. His waffles are shaped like Christmas Trees, but Troy says they don’t count as one of their Christmas traditions. 

“Why not?”

Troy gives him a look. “We always do breakfast. And I didn’t make them, so they don’t count.” 

“Okay, okay. They don’t count.” Nolan can’t help laughing at that, resting his hand his boyfriends leg as he drives, noticing he’s taking a different route away from the diner. “Where are we going now?” 

“You know I can’t tell you that.” 

Nolan huffs a little bit but doesn’t put up a fuss about it. He soon recognizes the area, looking over at his boyfriend. “Are we going to a mall? On Christmas Eve? Babe, that’s the last thing -” 

Troy hushes him gently. “We’re not going shopping. We’re only here for one thing. You’ll see.” 

It’s surprisingly easy to park, given they’re visiting a mall on Christmas Eve and every holiday movie Nolan’s ever seen has told him it should be a madhouse. But they’re not far from a door, and the place looks a lot quieter than it had a few weeks earlier when he and Jordan had come to shop for their boyfriends together. He unfastens his belt and starts to get out when Troy’s hand catches his wrist and draws his attention back. 

“Wait - I have to give you something before we go in.” Troy reaches into the backseat of the car, grabbing one of the equipment bags that’s almost always back there, Nolan’s eyes widening at the almost too obvious of a hiding spot. 

“Is that where you hide my presents?” He’s mostly teasing, but his eyes light up with playful delight at learning one of his baby’s holiday secrets. 

“Only the ones I’m planning to give you in a parking lot.” It’s said with Troy’s usual deadpan, but his eyes are playful and bright as he passes the box over. “Go ahead.” 

 

Nolan looks at him for a moment then carefully opens the box - as excitable as he is, he’s always been careful with them, and Troy looks warmly amused at the unexpected reaction, watching closely as he loosens the tape and peels the paper from the box. His expression changes from one of concentration to a bright smile as he pulls the gift from its box, an ocean green sweatshirt with a picture of a mermaid and ‘ _Mer-ry Christmas’_ written above the image. 

“Baby, I love it. Is this another tradition?” 

Troy shakes his head, reaching into the bag again and pulling out a sweatshirt of his own, black with the shape of a Christmas tree formed by the red Diamondbacks logo. He pulls it over his head and gives Nolan a toothy grin when his head emerges from the collar. “Nope. We’re not getting new sweaters every year, that’s silly. But I thought we should be festive for our first Santa picture together.” He pauses, his grin softening into a warmer smile. “ _That’s_ our tradition. We’ll get one together every Christmas Eve, wherever we are.” 

“Every Christmas Eve forever, huh? And you’re going to ruin our first one wearing _that_?” He’s teasing as they always do when it comes to their rival baseball teams, but his eyes are glassy with emotion he’s trying to keep back - doesn’t want puffy eyes for their very first Santa picture, after all. 

“Damn right I am.” Troy grins, kissing him quickly then nodding towards the mall. “Come on, baby, in and out before the screaming children show up and demand all Santa’s attention.” He jumps out, circling the car before Nolan can himself, opening the door and taking his hand once he’s got his sweater on too. 

“Wait!” 

Troy freezes when he hears him, looking back to see what he needs. 

“I love this. I love you.” Nolan gives him a little smile, leaning in to kiss him sweetly then looking up at him when it ends. “That’s all.” 

“I love you too, sweetheart. Lets go.” 

= 

**3.**

Nolan can’t stop looking at their photo as they get back in the car, taking a picture of the picture and texting it home to his parents and brothers, sending it to his best friends as well, laughing to himself as he gets their reactions. 

“Baby, Jonah says he’s sending your presents back, and you now get coal for wearing that sweater. And that’s just because he likes you.” Looks up at him with a grin, his fondness for his boyfriend and love of pestering his younger brother overriding his loyalty to the Dodgers right now. “So you _have_ to bring it to California and wear it to our family dinner, okay?” 

Troy hums in agreement though he’s not really paying attention, looking at his own phone for directions to their next destination. A movement catches his eye though, and he looks up to see Nolan starting to pull his sweater off. 

“Baby don’t!” It’s a knee-jerk reaction, but he calms quickly to explain. “I mean, just, not yet. I can put on the air if you’re hot, but you still need the mermaids. We’re not done.” 

First Nolan had started in surprise, but he’d quickly settled after his boyfriend went on for a minute, smiling slowly - seeing his usually calm and collected love so reactive always kept his attention, knowing something was a big deal if he was getting worked up. “Okay, honey. I won’t. Where are we going now?” 

Troy’s not distracted enough to spoil his own surprise, giving Nolan a look that makes him laugh out loud. 

“Fine, baby, you don’t have to tell me. I’ll see soon enough. I know.” He reaches for his nearest hand, bringing it to his lips for a sweet kiss before letting him drive. 

Their next stop is closer than Troy had thought, which is a relief - he’d been scared they would miss it, but he pulls into the aquarium parking lot with a bit of time to spare before the scheduled event he’d planned their visit around. 

“Babe?” Nolan’s pretty sure they don’t have mermaids at the aquarium, so he’s not entirely sure why they’re here and what his sweater has to do with it. 

Troy’s still in a hurry and gets out of the car, waiting for Nolan at the front and taking his hand before giving him an explanation as they head inside. “I thought my sweet mermaid needed some ocean for Christmas - sorry, _Fishmas._ ”

Nolan starts to ask what the hell he’s going on about, but gets his answer as soon as they get inside. The large foyer they step into is festively decorated, wreaths and decorative boughs made of fake seaweed hanging along the walls, the large tanks at either end of the wide space filled with silver, red, and green fish swimming to and fro, and a large banner above the ticketing counter reading, just like his boyfriend had said a moment earlier, _Merry Fishmas!_

He’s still taking it all in, eyes a bit wide with awe, when Troy’s arm is slung around his shoulder and he gets pulled into his side, giving the affection without disturbing his focus on the decorations. “I mean, they probably won’t let you surf so that’ll have to wait until we get to SoCal, but I’m pretty sure you can pet a starfish in here somewhere.” Troy gives him a bright grin and presses a kiss to his cheek before taking him up to the ticket window to purchase their tickets. The decorations taper off as they head inside hand in hand, but Nolan still loves seeing the ocean life. The beach and everything that goes with it, marine creatures included, is second only to his family on the list of things he misses most about living in California. 

“Babe, what’s your favourite ocean creature? And cute mermaids don’t count,” he adds with a wink and a bright smile. 

Troy huffs playfully when he is barred from saying the answer he would have given and looks around at the displays near them, brightening when he sees his favourites nearby, leading Nolan towards the tank of jellyfish. “These guys.” He doesn’t have to see the questioning look on Nolan’s face - jellyfish? really? - to know it’s there and shrugs, watching them move around their tank for a moment. “I just think they’re cool.”

Nolan watches them too, and starts to agree that they are pretty cool, when Troy grabs his hand with a bit of urgency. 

“Shit, we’re going to miss - we’ll come back here - baby, come this way, it’s important.” 

He’s not sure where they’re going but follows easily, lacing their fingers together as they head to the centre of the aquarium. A small crowd, mostly little kids and their parents, is already gathered around the largest tank, where the decorations from the entry have picked up again, garland and lights edging the viewing window and - to Nolan’s surprise - an underwater Christmas tree decorated with seaweed and shells, with colourful rocks and arranged like presents underneath it. 

It’s pretty and all, but Nolan still isn’t sure what they’re waiting for until a delighted shriek goes up from the crowd of children in front of them, a scuba diving elf and Santa himself swimming in among the fish and rays and turtles. It’s cute, and so different from anything he’s seen before it’s absolutely enthralling. And he can’t help laughing and loving the whole little show even more when the elf notices his mermaid sweatshirt and gives him a thumbs-up of approval. 

“Does this take you back to your childhood under the sea? Because this is how you celebrated Christmas when you still had your tail full time, right?” It’s said with a serious tone, as most things he says are, but there’s a playful spark in Troy’s eye and Nolan grins over at him. 

“You know you’re not supposed to know all our secrets! You’re going to get me in trouble soon.” 

Troy scoffs, rolling his eyes playfully. “Yeah well, the sea witch can fight me. I’m making sure my baby gets Fishmas whether she approves or not.” 

The fake aggression from his usually calm boyfriend makes him laugh again, pressing a little kiss to his cheek, slipping his arm around his waist to stand closer against him. “Aww. You’re the best human ever, babe. I love you so much.” 

His words are met with a bright smile and a kiss pressed to his forehead as Troy’s arm circles his shoulders, both of them turning to get back to the regular exhibits as the show winds down. “Love you too, my sweet mermaid boy. Merry Fishmas.” 

= 

**4.**

Nolan takes a nap after they get home from the aquarium, the first half of their day a much busier morning than any he’s had since classes ended a couple weeks earlier. And, he just really likes naps. 

While he’s sleeping, Troy’s hard at work in the kitchen. He’s probably gone a little overboard with dinner, but cooking is one of his passions and he wants to give his baby as much of what he’s missing as he can. He wants to give him a little taste of his own family traditions too, a preview of what he’ll be bombarded with when they get to Santa Clara tomorrow afternoon. And, of course, their personal favourites had to be included too - it’s their own unique traditions they’re starting to build, afterall. He’s always been efficient in the kitchen, but the amount of food he manages to produce in the few hours while his boyfriend sleeps even surprises him - there’s far more than the two of them will finish tonight, but he’s been meaning to replenish the freezer anyhow, and it’ll be nice to have something home made that only needs to be reheated when they get back from California in two weeks. 

He’s just pulling the pizza from the oven when his phone buzzes nearby and he jumps at the sound. It’s not unexpected, of course, he’s just been focused. In fact, he’d been wondering for the past half hour or so if Nolan would ever wake up and see the note left on their door - _‘Don’t come out! Text me when you’re up, there are surprises out here I’ll have to hide <3’ _\- or if he’d have to go in and nudge him awake again. 

There’s no real message, just a sleepy emoji and a heart, and Troy laughs, recognizing from that, he’s not quite awake yet, he just wants attention. He’ll get it soon enough - Troy just has a few finishing touches to put on dinner, a couple adjustments to the table, and of course, turns on the lights of their full sized tree in the living room, before he heads down the hall and slips into the bedroom quietly. 

He’s met with sleepy eyes and a warm smile as he closes the door behind himself out of habit, laying on his side on his half of the bed, smiling himself as Nolan curls into him, hiding his face against his shirt as soon as he sees he’s not wearing the Diamondbacks sweater anymore. 

“What did you make? It smells like… everything.” 

Troy laughs, because he’s not wrong - it is sort of everything. But he won’t give it away, kissing the top of his head before running his fingers through his hair. “You’ll see, baby. Is my sleepy boy ready to get up?” He laughs again, warm and fond, when Nolan shakes his head and snuggles closer into him. “Hmm.. what if I tell you there’s _ropa vieja_ and _congri_?” 

He perks up at that quickly, eyes widening. “There is? You made it? I thought I smelled it earlier!” 

“I did. Among other things - I know you’d eat mac and cheese every day if you could, so…” 

Troy’s pretty sure he’s never seen Nolan wake up so fast in his life, at least without sex involved. But food is a close second, especially when it’s his favourites, and he’s climbing out of bed, pulling his sweatpants back on, and heading out the bedroom door before Troy can get up himself. 

“You’re not allowed in the kitchen!” 

His warning gets a quiet yell of acknowledgment and he’s up himself a moment later, grabbing both of their bears off the bed - it’s silly, but they’re part of the family too, so they’re coming to dinner - and following him out, grinning as he sees Nolan standing by the tree and looking around at the way he’s rearranged the living room. They’ll eat there tonight - their kitchen is small and the table downright tiny, just barely big enough for their two place settings and maybe three condiments, so it wasn’t going to work very well for a dinner with five main dishes plus dessert. Instead, he turned the couch around and pushed it back a bit, gathered all the pillows and blankets his snuggly boyfriend had stashed around the apartment, and built them a little Christmas nest on the floor. The coffee table is already set with two place settings and a bottle of wine chilling next to it, the TV on and waiting for the Christmas movie he’s already picked out - as if there was a choice to be made, he has one favourite and he’s going to share it with his baby while they eat. 

“Take the kids and go sit,” he says, catching Nolan’s attention away from the cozy little wonderland he created and passing him both of their bears. “I’ll bring dinner out.”

It’ll take a few trips to get everything out there. He’s already spoiled the first surprise, the Cuban dishes he made from his mom’s recipes, so those come first and he sits them down with a little grin. “You gotta wait for everything, babe. I’ll be quick,” he adds warmly when he gets a little pout, knowing he’s homesick and wants to dig into the comfort food as soon as he can. And he is, bringing out the pizza - his own personal favourite - next, then the mac and cheese that gets a hungry whine from his boyfriend, knowing he can’t start yet. A tray of pierogis comes on his last trip, a few of each of his favourite kinds and a couple others he thinks his baby will love, all from his Grandma’s recipe box. It’s not quite the traditional Polish Christmas fare, but it’s something - and they were always his favourite, until it was time for dessert anyway. 

Once he sits, he’s a little surprised that Nolan turns to him instead of digging in right away, even if he really shouldn’t be - his boyfriend is warm and affectionate on even the quietest days, so of course something like this gets him a little sappy. 

“This looks amazing - you’re - you really are the best, Troy. I love you so much.” 

“I love you too, Nolan. But I think Cookie’s going to steal your pizza if you’re not careful.” He doesn’t want to get him upset or overemotional, so he gently, playfully, redirects his attention to the older of the bears tucked between them. 

It works and Nolan gives him a warm smile, looking at his bear then back to his boyfriend. “Did you know his name was Pizza once? I was four.” 

He laughs and shakes his head, telling him that’s adorable while they fill their plates and he pours the wine. Nolan’s about to dig in, for real this time, when he stops him for one more thing before they eat. 

“Hold on - we have to start this first, then we can eat.” Nolan gives him a questioning look as he hits play, then another as the opening starts. “It’s a Muppet Family Christmas! You’ve seen it, right?” Nolan answers that with a shrug and awkward smile, as if to say that if he has he sure doesn’t remember it, and Troy sighs - it’s not a huge gap or anything, but sometimes their age difference is exasperating. “Well, I hope you like it, because you’ll be watching it every Christmas for the rest of your life. Non-negotiable.” 

Nolan looks over at him, giving him that dreamy-eyed look he’s come to know well whenever they talk about their future. “Okay. I think I’ll love it, just for that.” 

= 

**5.**

After dinner, which also included a dessert of _torticas_ \- Nolan’s favourite guava filled, lime infused sugar cookies, made just like his aunt’s rather than the Cuban bakery they visited from time to time - and a Polish gingerbread cake roll Troy had adapted from one of his grandma’s old recipes, Nolan’s ready for a nap just from eating so much. His eyes are heavy as he lays curled up among a bunch of pillows with his head on Troy’s lap, cozy and happy as he yawns and lets his eyes fall shut. 

“No sleeping yet, baby, we have one more thing we need to do.” Troy nudges him with a soft laugh, but his fingers in Nolan's hair feel almost _too_ good, and it’s still hard to keep his eyes open. Troy realizes his mistake after a moment and pulls his hand away, trailing his fingers over Nolan’s cheek instead, giving another soft laugh in reply to the quiet whine of protest that comes when his comforting touch shifts away from his favourite place. “It’ll be worth it, okay? I promise.” 

Nolan won’t argue with that, especially after everything else he planned for them today has been so magical. If his boyfriend guarantees it’s worth his energy he knows it will be, and after another big yawn and a long stretch, he pushes himself up from his lap. “Okay. What is it?” 

“We gotta take a drive, but we’ll stay in the car - you can bring Cookie and a blanket if you want to.” 

That makes whatever he’s got planned sound even better and Nolan nods, grabbing his bear and the coziest blanket in reach, wrapping it around his shoulders. Troy kisses him on the forehead as he stands, clearing up the last of their dinner and grabbing his car keys, holding his hand out for Nolan to take when they’re both ready.

Once they’re in the car and he’s settled with the blanket still wrapped around his shoulders and his teddy bear in his lap, he can’t help his curiosity. “Where are we going? Isn’t everything closed now?” 

“Mhm - most things are, but we’re not going to a place. Just for a drive.” The look on his face tells Nolan he’s being intentionally vague, but he doesn’t press and they both quiet for the time being. They head south, and it’s about ten minutes driving before Troy squeezes his hand to get his attention. “We’re close, baby. Watch out your window.” 

Nolan does, and when they turn the next corner he gasps softly at the sight of thousands of Christmas lights that go on as far as he can see. Troy seems to have a particular route mapped out, turning away from the endless lights and down a side street - and he knows what Nolan’s about to ask before it even comes out. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll end up back there. This way first, though.” He turns again, and they’re on a wide residential street. The lights on each of the houses are pretty enough, but it’s the palm trees lining the street that are the main draw, red and white lights strung up the trunks and over just enough of the palm leaf to hang over the road, looking like a row of candy canes lining each side of the street. 

“This is so cool.” 

“Yeah - Phoenix goes off with the Christmas lights.” Troy pauses, reaching to take his hand before he speaks again. “We didn’t travel for the holidays when I was really young, especially when my brother and sister were small. My first Christmas out here, I was the most miserable little kid - it wasn’t home, and I missed my Grandma, you know?” He glances over with a gentle smile, squeezing Nolan’s hand warmly, knowing it’s relatable. “I was a brat about Christmas, and - I don’t even remember how we ended up out, but a few days before my dad took me for a drive. I just loved all the lights so much and was so quiet, we stayed out driving around for hours. I’m pretty sure the next day when I started acting up again he said if I kept up my shit, he’d tell Santa I wasn’t being good, and to turn all the lights off. That was a bigger threat than no presents.” 

Nolan can’t help laughing at the story, squeezing his boyfriends hand again as they turn down another road, this one with lights wrapped up the trees and strung criss-cross over the street like a canopy. “That’s pretty cute, babe. So you come out to see them a lot?” 

“Mm, when I was young, we’d go out every few days, all over the city. It’s tapered off now, but I always try to drive around at least once. I know where all the best ones are, anyway.” 

Nolan laughs again, warm and fond, loving this tradition a little bit more than the rest with the added history. “I love it. Thank you for sharing it with me, baby.” 

Troy grins, leaning over to kiss his cheek quickly. “Just wait. It gets better.” 

He’s not wrong - they turn down a few more streets, each one seeming to have it’s own theme - one with Santa and reindeer, one in blue and silver, another with all white lights in the shape of snowflakes. Beyond that neighborhood there’s a long stretch of blinking lights synced to a radio frequency Troy doesn’t even have to look up to access, getting another warm laugh from his boyfriend. 

“It hasn’t changed in 17 years!” Troy laughs, still a little delighted by the lights himself after all those years and more. They don’t say much else, just enjoying the show until they reach the end of that stretch. “So, that’s usually the last part - it’s kind of a big finale. But I changed up the route for you, because I think _this_ is going to be your favourite.” 

Nolan gives him a questioning look, then catches sight of the same white lights he saw at the start of their adventure. They’re much closer this time, and as they approach, he can make out the shapes a little better, gasping out loud. 

“Oh my God, Is that a cactus?! With Christmas lights?!” 

Troy answers with a fond laugh, beaming at the reaction, just as excited as he’d expected. “Mhmm - it’s over a mile of cacti and other fauna, and over a million lights.”

Nolan can’t help squealing in delight at the view as well as the facts - he loves when his brainy guy drops that sort of information on him, and they both know it. “Holy shit, babe. That’s so cool. And so pretty, oh my God.” 

It’s more than a mile and the little traffic on the street is slow, everyone out here for the same reason they are. But it still ends too quickly, and Nolan looks over at his boyfriend with a little pout, knowing that’s the end of their trip. 

Troy’s not ready for it to end either, his eyes flashing playfully as he looks over at his boyfriend. “Wanna go through again?” 

It’s not a real answer, but the squeal and the kiss he gets in reply are close enough - he knows that’s an emphatic ‘ _yes_.’ 

= 

**+1.**

When Nolan wakes up on December 25th, it’s still not California - but it finally feels like Christmas. 

They’ll be in California later today - Northern California, sure, but still his home state, even if it’s the weird, cold part of it. He’ll be near the ocean, anyway, and that’s a start. 

It’s strange that he’s the first one awake - or, it would be if it wasn’t Christmas morning. But some things never change and he’s always been a big kid, the first one up on Christmas morning and jumping on everyone else to get up too, for as long as he can remember. He doesn’t want to drive his boyfriend absolutely nuts with his Christmas cheer this early though, so he lets him sleep and slips away, tucking his bear in close to him like he does on the infrequent mornings when he’s out of bed first. 

He won’t be gone long, just up to start their coffee and get the oven warmed for breakfast - and turning on the Christmas tree lights, of course, looking extra pretty in the low light of the early morning. And as soon as he gets the french toast bake Troy prepared last night into the oven and two cups of coffee poured, he returns to their room, staying as quiet as he can. 

“You didn’t turn our tree on, baby.” Troy’s sleepy voice greets him as he opens the door and Nolan answers with a soft laugh. 

“I didn’t want to wake you - here, I’ll get it.” He passes over both cups of coffee then goes to the switch, lighting up their tree and all the hanging lights around the bed before he crawls back in, curling up next to Troy and taking back his coffee. 

Troy smiles, kissing the top of his head once he settles in, enjoying each other and their coffee in silence for a few moments before he speaks up. “This has already been the best Christmas I can remember, you know.” 

“Has it?” Nolan can’t help the warm laugh that comes from him. “Well, you’ve made it pretty magical, honey.” 

Troy rolls his eyes, shrugging off the praise, then continues in a low, serious tone. “More than just the stuff we did yesterday, though. Just, knowing it’s Christmas and waking up to you - even in these dorky fucking pyjamas - it’s incredible. It’s more than I could have wished for.“ 

Nolan knows things could get emotional, and quick, talking like this, and - it’s _Christmas_. He won’t let his baby cry on Christmas, even if they’re happy tears, so he takes them down another path. “Our pyjamas are fucking _adorable_. We’re taking them to California, and we’re getting a new pair every year. Add it to our traditions list.” 

It works - Troy groans, distracted from the heavy feelings for now, his eyes rolling again. “You’re ridiculous, you know.” 

“Mm, it’s true. But you can’t say no to me, can you?” Nolan doesn’t have to wait for the answer, they both know it’s true, and presses a sweet kiss to his lips, beaming up at him when it ends. “Thank you for making this the perfect Christmas, baby. I’m gonna love sharing the rest of them with you.” 

= 

**Author's Note:**

> A few more points of reference: [This](https://i.etsystatic.com/8634718/r/il/3888ed/1619406116/il_570xN.1619406116_6131.jpg) is Nolan's adorable sweater, and [this](https://www.flickr.com/photos/kmichie/albums/72157628456765027) is the wicked cool Festival of Lights with glowing cacti. 
> 
> (I'm going to make a better post with these from Tumblr... watch this space later ;) )


End file.
